Nigerian student ‘murdered’ in Ghana

Police authorities in Ghana are working round the clock to apprehend the killers of a 19-year-old Nigerian student at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Godwin Chukwudi Ayogu.

Godwin was killed penultimate week by persons believed to have links with his Ghanaian room-mate, Abotsi Gweus, a.k.a Enay. A 300-level Economics student, he was stabbed to death by his attackers after tying his hands and feet. They disemboweled him and later dropped his corpse in front of his hostel.

Godwin’s father, Mr Fred Ayogu, a Lagos-based businessman, said he had returned to school for the second semester in September last year with $5,000 meant for his tuition and sundry fees. However, the money was allegedly collected from him for “safe keeping” by Gweus, a 400-level Music student. But, up until the night of his murder, Godwin had not paid his school fees because he could not recover the money.

When the police asked Gweus why he refused to return the money to Godwin, he reportedly said since Godwin had collected $600 from the $5,000, the balance of $4,400 “is not enough to pay his school fees.” However, the vice chancellor promptly confirmed that the balance – $4,400 – was the late Godwin’s exact fee.

Then, Gweus reportedly changed his story, claiming that Godwin later removed the whole money from where he kept it.

The Cape Coast police are working on the theory that Godwin was killed by his attackers to prevent him from reporting them either to his parents or the school’s authorities.

Ayogu said the Ghanaian police had assured him that his son’s killers would be found and punished. He thanked the Nigerian High Commission in Accra for the “expeditious manner in which they have been handling the case.”

“My son just lost his life so carelessly. He was kind to a fault; he lent his own school fees to another person to pay his own school fees and their gratitude was to murder him. It’s most unfair, a very callous thing to do to a fellow human being.”

The Senator Ayogu Eze, who represents Enugu North District, where the slain student hailed from, The Nation learnt, has briefed the Senate and the Presidency on the development. The Presidency has reportedly taken it up with the Ghanaian authorities. The latter, it was reliably gathered, has ordered the police to leave no stone unturned to unmask Godwin’s killers.

Also, the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Diaspora will soon raise the matter on the floor of the House, its Chairman, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said yesterday.